It’s crazy to say I’ve been in KL & at MSRI for over a month now, but here we are!!! It feels like yesterday that I was scrambling to pack my bags for the next 7 months before my family dropped me off at the airport, but oh so distant when our schedules finally align after fighting a 15 hour time difference to have a quick hello and I miss you moment. I’d be lying if I said there weren’t times when I’m missing home and/or feeling FOMO, but they are much more few and far between than I had imagined. The reason for this is that I am constantly surrounded by the endless exploration of new experiences in KL and comforted by the overwhelming sense of community that lives amongst the people at MSRI.
For instance, one of the extracurricular activities I have been helping out with at MSRl is dance club. For the last month or so, we’ve been preparing a routine for an upcoming showcase at the end of the month and during a snack break one of the students ran up to me and said “Teacher, teacher, you’ll be coming to my birthday party later at my house right?”. The thought of a teacher attending a student’s birthday felt completely foreign to me, especially one taking place at their home. It felt as though some invisible boundary would need to be crossed for this to happen, so I took this informal invitation simply as the sweet innocence of childhood. However, I was mistaken as upon checking with the student’s parents, we were actually invited to come and so we did! Thus, our Friday night was spent singing and dancing to Katseye (all the rage here) along with breaks to enjoy some Afghan-style tea and delicacies.
I could only skim the surface of all the things we’ve been up to here at MSRI or else I’d be writing for quite some time, but a favourite by far has been participating in the several sports tournaments the kids are involved in. Despite not having the luxury of a gymnasium or sports field on school grounds like we are privileged to have back home in Canada, MSRI has truly dedicated itself to ensuring that the children are able to access physical activity both as a recreational outlet and source of fun. Having grown up playing soccer (or I should say football) all my life, it is a joy to observe these kids as they pursue what to some of them is their life passion. Whether I’m coaching and cheering them on during training and tournaments after a 5:30am Saturday wake up time or engaging with them myself in heated debates on who the best player is (the general consensus here is Ronaldo), I’ve truly enjoyed every minute of building connections with all the students especially through sports. Speaking of heated debates, I’ve had the pleasure of starting a FIFA World Cup Watch Club at the school. Not only has this quickly cured any FOMO I had with the tournament taking place in my hometown (Vancouver), because really it’s about the people and not the place, but I think it will also settle once and for all amongst us debaters who the best player and team truly is!
The last couple weeks have definitely been the most work hard, play hard that I’ve experienced thus far in my life. In our free time, we’ve had nothing short of an exceptional experience exploring the different corners of Kuala Lumpur and we’ve barely scratched the surface. The seamless cohesion of different cultures from Malay to Chinese to Indian and more that exist here are unlike anything I’ve seen before. It’s been a treat to immerse ourselves into what feels like a new cultural crevice everyday whether that be attending celebrations like the Wesak Day parade, visiting night markets held by Indigenous communities from both Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo, or just “jalan-jalaning” with our co-workers who have been the best guides to navigating the city. Recently, I learned that jalan-jalan is a commonly used phrase in Malay meaning to go for a stroll or hangout which we’ve been doing a lot of given that there is something new to discover here every day.
Aside from our time in KL, Maddie, Emily, and myself also had the opportunity to visit Penang, a northern state in Malaysia. A relaxing, island escape from the hustle and bustle of a big city, getting to explore George Town for a few days was a delight. For me, the highlight of the trip was inarguably the food!!!!! Although the food all over Malaysia is out of this world, nothing has beat the RM1 Michelin star samosas, a must try for anyone who plans to visit.
As the end of our little trip was nearing, I found myself slowly missing the familiarity of home. However, to my surprise it wasn’t Canada that I was missing at that moment. I started to miss my routine in KL, being home at our apartment, seeing the students and staff at MSRI, just the regular day-to-day life I had somehow so quickly built and become used to. It’s common that I start to miss home after being away for sometime, but this was the first time that the home I was missing and wanting to get back to wasn’t Canada. I knew that going into this new chapter of my life that I would become accustomed to living and building a community here, but I couldn’t have imagined how fast it would happen and how attached I could get in such a short time. It only makes me more excited for the months to come and I hope that those of you that are reading are just as excited to follow along!
